Confessed bird smuggler freed

Last Updated on Tuesday, 17 June 2014, 20:14 by GxMedia

A man, who admitted to the attempted smuggling of 22 Twa-Twa birds to Canada, was Tuesday freed from because the law under which he was charged does not cater for those finches.

Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry struck out the charge against Canada-based Nazir Khan.

He was arrested on June 13, 2014 at the Cheddi Jagan International Development Airport (CJIA) with the large-billed Seed Finches scientifically known as Oryzoborus crassirostris

Khan pleaded guilty to the offence that he was exporting the birds without obtaining a permit from the Wildlife Management Authority. 

He was granted GUY$75,000 bail on  Monday and when he returned to court on Tuesday, the Chief Magistrate said she was striking out the case because the Chapter of the Criminal Law Offences Act does not cater for that species.

The Prosecution’s case was that the man was about to leave on Caribbean Airlines flight BW 606 to Canada when a routine check of his hand luggage revealed a number of small whistling birds in hair curlers.